Thermal image-based tracking to mate connectors of vehicles
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsRyan P. McClintock, Caleb G. Price, Christian Louis Carini
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device includes a thermal imaging sensor configured to generate a thermal image depicting a drogue attached to a vehicle. The device includes a vision processor coupled to the thermal imaging sensor. The vision processor is configured to process the thermal image to obtain multiple candidate locations of the drogue in the thermal image and one or more scores associated with each of the candidate locations. The device also includes a second processor configured to process the candidate locations and the one or more scores associated with each of the candidate locations to generate a tracked position of the drogue.
Claims20
A device comprising:
- a thermal imaging sensor configured to generate a thermal image depicting a drogue attached to a vehicle;
- a vision processor coupled to the thermal imaging sensor, wherein the vision processor is configured to process the thermal image to obtain multiple candidate locations of the drogue in the thermal image and one or more scores associated with each of the candidate locations;
- and
- a second processor configured to process the candidate locations and the one or more scores associated with each of the candidate locations to generate a tracked position of the drogue.
A method comprising:
- receiving, at a vision processor of a device, a thermal image depicting a drogue attached to a vehicle;
- processing, at the vision processor, the thermal image to obtain multiple candidate locations of the drogue in the thermal image and one or more scores associated with each of the candidate locations;
- and
- processing, at a second processor of the device, the candidate locations and the one or more scores associated with each of the candidate locations to generate a tracked position of the drogue.
A non-transitory, computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors that include a vision processor and a second processor, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
- receiving, at the vision processor, a thermal image depicting a drogue attached to a vehicle;
- processing, at the vision processor, the thermal image to obtain multiple candidate locations of the drogue in the thermal image and one or more scores associated with each of the candidate locations;
- and
- processing, at the second processor, the candidate locations and the one or more scores associated with each of the candidate locations to generate a tracked position of the drogue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.